Jellison & Nathanson, LLP is a small law firm specializing in criminal defense, the defense of students charged with misconduct in the college and university setting (sometimes known as Title IX cases), and minimizing the collateral effects of criminal convictions. We provide our clients with the highest level of representation by combining the specialized knowledge and individual treatment of a boutique criminal defense firm with the experience and accomplishment of a national firm. As leaders among the criminal defense bar, we regularly work with some of the largest firms in the nation to advance the interests of our clients while also moving the law forward.

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Attorney Ramos Receives Hines-Burnham Award

On March 19, 2025, the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers presented Attorney Ramos with the Hines Burnham Award. The award is given in recognition of exceptional service, skill and innovation in the defense of the accused by an attorney practicing for ten years or less. Melissa has recently either been lead or second chair in cases that resulted in the overturning of a second-degree murder conviction, a jury verdict of manslaughter where the defendant was charged with first-degree murder, and the entering of a not guilty finding on appeal of a conviction for a restraining order violation. She also recently helped two clients convicted of extremely serious offenses successfully petition for parole. The Hines-Burnham Award is named for two trailblazing African-American women criminal defense lawyers who advanced the profession and excelled for their clients. Attorney Ramos is the continuation of that proud tradition.

Attorney Alpert recently submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Judicial Court on behalf of the Youth Advocacy Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services urging that a child’s first minor misdemeanor offense must always be dismissed. The legislature had clearly required this, creating this legislation based on data showing that any involvement with the criminal system increases a child’s chances of offending later on. But here, the government had charged a more serious offense, not just a minor misdemeanor. After a trial, the jury found that the child committed only a minor misdemeanor but the government still sought to have the child sentenced. The SJC agreed with the child and adopted the position advocated by Attorney Alpert and other amici: the minor misdemeanor must be dismissed after trial.